Episode Details

A new way to donate to people in Gaza.

Friday Zoom Call

This Friday’s Zoom call, for paid subscribers, will be at 1 PM Eastern, our usual time. Our guest will be Abdul El-Sayed, a child of Egyptian immigrants to the US, a Rhodes Scholar, a graduate of Columbia University Medical School and currently a Democratic candidate for the Senate in Michigan. I’m not endorsing Abdul’s candidacy (or anyone else’s), but I’m keen to talk to him about being an Arab and Muslim American politician in the age of Trump and about the political debate over Israel’s destruction of Gaza.

Ask Me Anything

Our next Ask Me Anything session, for premium subscribers, will be a week from Monday, August 25, from 2-3 PM Eastern time.

Cited in Today’s Video

Harvard’s decision to shut down programs that study Palestinians at the School of Public Health and Divinity School.

The IHRA definition of antisemitism.

Columbia historian Rashid Khalidi’s warning that enforcing the IHRA definition would make honest teaching and scholarship about Israel and Zionism impossible.

Things to Read

(Maybe this should be obvious, but I link to articles and videos I find provocative and significant, not necessarily ones I entirely agree with.)

In Jewish Currents (subscribe!), Alex Kane details the role of the Department of Health and Human Services in Trump’s assault on free speech on campus.

Mosab Abu Toha on the kinds of planes you see in Gaza.

Trita Parsi on why Israel and Iran may soon be at war again.

Adam Sticklor on Gaza as a Jewish story.

A new poll shows Zohran Mamdani with a huge lead among young Jewish voters.

Gaza’s average life expectancy has fallen by 35 years since October 7.

I talked about Being Jewish After the Destruction with Piers Morgan

See you Friday,

Peter

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:

So, there are reports that Harvard may soon settle with the Trump administration and reportedly pay $500 million and agree to some set of terms. This would follow, you know, deals by Colombia and Brown, and probably set in motion a whole series of additional kind of agreements by universities with the Trump administration. Harvard says that this agreement will not violate academic freedom.

The harsh reality is that Harvard has already seriously infringed upon academic freedom. There’s already been a very serious imprint in violation of academic freedom, even before this agreement. It’s just that it do